The Average Salary of a Legal Transcriptionist
Legal transcriptionists perform a variety of functions for lawyers. Their main duty involves writing reports based on their recordings of court proceedings, but they also may research cases or assist attorneys with drafting paperwork. Legal transcriptionists make about the same amount as beginning teachers do and may earn more money as their skills and experience go up.
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Factors
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Where you work and how long you have worked for affect your salary as a legal transcriptionist. Salary Survey says that transcriptionists in Texas, Massachusetts and Colorado make more money than transcriptionists in other states. The average starting salary across the country is $24,000, according to College Crunch.org, but transcriptionists who have a year or more of experience make about $35,000 per year.
Education
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Salary level may also depend on your education level. At a minimum, you must earn a certificate in legal transcription from a community college. If you have a degree in English or in law, you may be able to earn more as you must be familiar with legal terms and have a solid command of grammar to succeed as a legal transcriptionist.
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Temporary Work
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Some law firms hire transcriptionists on a temporary basis when the regular transcriptionist is sick or on vacation. Temporary transcriptionists are usually paid on an hourly basis. Hourly fees for temporary transcription work are between $12 and $15, depending on where you work and the fees your temp agency charges employers for using its services. If you are on a long-term temporary assignment, the company you work for may choose to hire you permanently, at which point your salary will probably rise.
Job Duties
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Before deciding to work as a legal transcriptionist, consider whether the money your employer offers you will compensate you adequately for the amount of work you are expected to do. Legal transcriptionists must document court proceedings or meetings with clients verbatim and use their notes to generate written reports. They may have to type information into data entry programs or use word processing software to write their reports. Many legal transcriptionists perform clerical duties as well, such as scheduling appointments, filing records and maintaining their employer's calendar. Legal transcriptionists may also be called upon to do paralegal work such as researching case law.
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